3 deaths in 2 swimming pools in 1 day in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Two young men and a 35-year-old software engineer died in two separate incidents of drowning in swimming pools in the capital on Sunday. While the engineer, Nitin Gupta, died after he suffered a cardiac arrest while swimming in a pool at the DDA sports complex in Paschim Vihar on Sunday morning, the two young men, aged 23 and 24, drowned in a yet-to-be-opened pool at Burari in north Delhi. A third friend, Bharat, was rescued by a caretaker. Additional DCP (north) Harendra Kumar Singh said that the incident happened at 7.30pm on Sunday. Criminal negligence? No life jackets, safety alarm or fencingThe cops were intimated by a nearby hospital where the youth, Amit Kumar and Neeraj, were taken. A case under IPC sections of causing death due to negligence has been registered. Bharat told the cops that he and his two friends had gone to the pool in the evening at 4pm. They were initially denied entry as some women were swimming at that time. The caretaker asked them to come later in the evening. Bharat told cops that they went to a nearby liquor shop on Amit’s motorcycle where Amit and Neeraj had alcohol. They returned to the swimming pool in the evening at 7.30pm and asked the caretaker to let them in. The caretaker, Ramesh, told cops that he only allowed the three men to enter the water for a few minutes and wasn’t aware that they didn’t know how to swim. Cops found that the three boys jumped in at the deep end which is about 6.5 feet deep. The trio started drowning as soon as they dived in. The caretaker saw them and managed to grab Bharat’s hand and pulled him out of the water. The duo then pulled Amit and Neeraj out. Bharat tried to revive his friends by giving them CPR but in vain. The two youth were then taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them brought dead. Police took the bodies to Subzi Mandi mortuary where an autopsy was conducted. An investigating team led by SHO Burari, Manoj Kumar, found that the pool was in the final stages of construction. Vikram Ujjainwal, named the second accused in the case, had leased the property for a monthly rent of Rs 25,000 for a period of five years from Mahesh Tyagi of Burari village. He had developed a swimming pool but didn’t have any permission letters from the authorities to commence commercial use of the pool. Ujjainwal has claimed to the cops that he had written letters to grant him licence for the swimming pool and his application is in process. However, cops didn’t receive any collaborating evidence till Monday night. He also told cops that he had filled up the pool two days ago for user trials. However, cops found that there were no life jackets, protective fencing, drain cover, safety alarm or proper lighting around the pool. No lifeguard was hired and only the caretaker was responsible for the safety of the people visiting the pool. Amit was the sole breadwinner of the family after his father’s death a year ago. He is survived by his mother and a younger brother, who is pursuing graduation.

He was working as an RO mechanic with a private firm and befriended Neeraj and Bharat at a nearby gym where the three used to work out together. Neeraj is the third of four siblings and was still studying. Police officers said that blood samples have indicated the presence of alcohol in the bodies of the two victims and blood alcohol levels would be revealed from the autopsy report.